video; un: shiro

[shiro2hero]

[Oh hi Shiro, long time no see on the network. That's because this is a last-ditch effort. He looks pretty darn not great, despite the fact it's Sleep Season for Warmbloods. Maybe it's the Arena. Maybe it's the River. Something honestly, sincerely traumatic that's happened already.]

[His face is in his hands, hunched over the counter in his kitchen. The omni in front of him. Voice haggard and quiet. Like he has a migraine.]

I will pay... however much anyone wants. For coffee beans. Espresso beans. Don't even have to be cooked. Roasted. Doesn't matter.

[... Or it's caffeine withdrawl.]

Or tea leaves. I don't care.

[Please, he is Suffering.]

Comments

[shiro2hero]

[He's like Pidge-sized... in a way. A familiar sort of way, as far as Shiro is concerned. He slows his strides automatically, without glancing down, or even seeming to realize it.]

I've been volunteering here pretty often. Vyng too, if you know him.

So I'm not always on my own.

[It's said with a smile, though the expression is strained, slightly. Just from the pounding in his temples.]

But thank you. Really.

[justoscar]

Oh, you know Mister Vyng?

[--oops. Vyng had already asked him not to use the 'mister', but farmlad manners tended to override when he was babbling.]

He seems like he'd be cool to work with here. Never a dull moment, between all the kids and the jokes he makes.

[Oscar smiled back-- understanding the peculiar discomfort of caffeine withdrawal headaches.]

...There's a cup in my pack too, so you can have some cocoa now.

[shiro2hero]

Yeah, I do. We've known each other a long time now.

[Ever since that weird video on the network - the one with the alligator head. Boy, that was a trip.]

He's good with them, and they all really like him. Pretty easy guy to get along with. [A good man, if you ask Shiro. As much as Vyng likes to say otherwise...]

Thanks again. I really do appreciate it.

[justoscar]

Ruby seems to like him. That's always been good enough for me.

[Although Ruby's judgement could be questionable at times, considering there were reasons why he tried to monitor her use of cookware in the kitchen as much as possible, her judgement of people had never failed. Oscar trusted her with everything-- his life, his continued existence. He trusted her gut feelings on people.]

But, so is hearing that someone is having trouble.

[He filled the tin camping cup he had pulled out from his bottomless bag while he spoke, smiling as the steam and the warm aroma of cocoa caught the breeze. Still beaming, Oscar passed it off.]

Here. Julia has good taste in cocoa.